March 2, 2006

Dear Colleague:

We want to alert you to a 3,000 word article, The End of Oil, by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Robert B. Semple, Jr. of the New Times Editorial Board. Mr. Semple writes,

When President Bush declared in his 2006 State of the Union address that America must cure its 'addiction to oil,' he framed his case largely in terms of national security...He failed to mention two other good reasons to sober up. Both are at least as pressing as national security.

One is global warming...The second reason is just as unsettling, and is only starting to get the attention it deserves. The Age of Oil-100-plus years of astonishing economic growth made possible by cheap, abundant oil-could be ending without our really being aware of it.

..The concept of peak oil...is almost certainly correct...we need to look quickly for near and medium-term solutions that can help us cushion the shock when we hit the peak, assuming we haven't hit it already.

We invite you to join us as members of the Congressional Peak Oil Bipartisan Caucus-a forum to discuss how the United States can prepare for the coming peak in world oil. We also invite you to cosponsor House Resolution 507 that expresses: "the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States, in collaboration with other international allies, should establish an energy project with the magnitude, creativity, and sense of urgency that was incorporated in the 'Man on the Moon' project to address the inevitable challenges of 'Peak Oil' ".

Please contact Mark Aitken on Rep. Bartlett's staff at ext. 5-2721 or Steve Quane on Rep. Udall's staff at ext. 5-6190 if you would like to join the Peak Oil Caucus and/or cosponsor H.Res. 507. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Roscoe G. Bartlett
Tom Udall